August 15

#################### Balance###################- When a Secret Religious Cult reveals itself, all members will join in the conversion instead of just the ones in the same realm- The AI is now more often unsuccessful in recruiting new members to Secret Religious Cults- Priests, Zealous characters and Paranoid characters are now much less likely to join a secret cult- Characters accused of Apostasy (with the modifier) can no longer Induce Sympathy, Induct or Invite characters to Secret Cults- The cooldown between inviting/inducting characters into Secret Cults increased to 10 years from 5- The AI is now less likely to recruit/induct characters into cults if they are in a realm without a player- Lowered the maximum amount of members the AI can recruit into Secret Religious Cults to a more modest number (from 370 to 91)- Characters in Secret Religious Cults can now only use Prepare Grounds in counties they or their vassals own- The AI is now much less inclined to create a secret religious cult just because their liege is a player- Diplomatic immunity now also prevents release from prison, banishment, and execution

#################### AI Improvements###################- When one AI tells another "get your ass over here" the other AI is now willing to cancel a siege it only just started to actually get "over here"- The AI will no longer think that just because going back to Rome with its army briefly seemed like a good idea, it should continue going there even if it becomes apparent going to Rome is a terrible idea- The AI will no longer decide that gathering up to join its allies is a terrible idea just because there's nothing to siege in that friendly province

#################### Bugfixes###################- Fixed an issue where targets of Tainted Touch would get the effects of Soul Corruption rather than the caster- Fixed giving someone multiple gifts on the same day causing the opinion bonus to stack, then disappear entirely on the next day- Fixed one way government type could switch away from Tribal on succession for no apparent reason- Fixed epidemics in some cases never ending due to being stuck on islands- Fixed the Black Death in some cases never ending due to the end date not working- If a Secret Religious Cult ends up without a Grandmaster, they will now disband- Characters not in a society can low lose suspicion level- When revealing your Secret Cults your suspicion level is reset- No longer possible to sacrifice the same person to Satan multiple times- Fixed councillor modifiers not being applied on the very first day of a campaign

August 7

The Swedish summer vacations are drawing to a close and I’m back and eager to talk some more Crusader Kings! What better way to kick off the end of summer than by revealing the theme of the next expansion? Yes my friends, it’s China! Now, before you get all emotional one way or the other, we’re not actually going to expand the map farther east. We considered doing that, long and hard, but eventually decided on a different approach that would not strain performance and stability beyond reason. As I mentioned in Dev Diary #51, it bothers me that the eastern edge of the map just cuts off in such an unnatural way. Playing in the Orient, you should always feel like you’re in the shadow of the Dragon. It should be an interesting and dynamic region right in the center of the Old World. So, we came up with the idea of adding China as a political entity even though you cannot actually see most of its territory.

There is a new screen you can open up, which, if you’re within range of China, allows you to interact with the Emperor in various interesting ways. China can grant many wonderful boons if you’re in the emperor’s good graces, but, depending on the current status and policy of the Dragon Throne, the emperor can also decide you’d better show some respect and become a tributary state. When there is turmoil in China, displaced or fleeing armies can arrive on the map and cause all kinds of trouble. China can even seize and rule actual provinces, but the emperor leaves the governing of such areas to the Governor of the Western Protectorate (or, to be a stickler, the “Protectorate General to Pacify the West”.) Potentially, this on-map part of China can grow enormously powerful, but you should not have to worry too much as long as you enjoy the emperor’s grace…

That’s going to be all for now. I’m sure you have a million questions, but you’ll have to wait for the upcoming dev diaries. :)

Meanwhile, remember to tune in to our CK2 livestreams between 16 to 18:00 CET!

Reviews

“...playing is winning, and there’s something quite satisfying about leading your house to power and glory through whatever means you can, for as long as you can.”9,5/10 – Strategy Informer

“In short, Crusader Kings II is a majestic feudal sandbox, the greatest generator of hilarious medieval soap opera ever created and Paradox Interactive’s best title to date.”90/100 – IncGamers

“It's perfectly possible to have made a few too many enemies, anger the Pope and find most of Europe out for your blood. That's really what makes the game so damn fun.”9/10 – Destructoid

About This Game

The Dark Ages might be drawing to a close, but Europe is still in turmoil. Petty lords vie against beleaguered kings who struggle to assert control over their fragmented realms. The Pope calls for a Crusade to protect the Christians in the Holy Land even as he refuses to relinquish control over the investiture of bishops - and their riches. Now is the time for greatness. Expand your demesne and secure the future of your dynasty. Fill your coffers, appoint vassals, root out traitors and heretics, introduce laws and interact with hundreds of nobles, each with their own agenda. A good lord will always need friends to support him. But beware, as loyal vassals can quickly turn to bitter rivals, and some might not be as reliable as they seem... Stand ready, and increase your prestige until the world whispers your name in awe. Do you have what it takes to become a Crusader King? Crusader Kings II explores one of the defining periods in world history in an experience crafted by the masters of Grand Strategy. Medieval Europe is brought to life in this epic game of knights, schemes, and thrones...

Key features:

Start a game at any point between 1066 and 1337 and play until 1453

Pick a Christian lord and make sure his dynasty survives as you play a succession of his descendants through the ages

Gain Prestige for every successive character you play, furthering the glory of your Dynasty

Expand your feudal domain - and keep it from falling apart

Unravel the plots of your courtiers and vassals, each with their own opinions and agendas

Take up the Cross and fight the Moor, the Heathen and the Heretic.

Defend against the onslaught of the Mongol Horde

Struggle with the Pope for control of the bishops

Relive the Middle Ages with up to 32 other players in a competitive multiplayer mode